


Never Let Go

by onlyhereforellick



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, tag 17x17
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:33:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23360239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: She felt his mouth move along the top of her head, brushing her hair as he whispered, “Always. I’ll always hold you, Ellie. I’ll never let go.”
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64





	Never Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> 18\. “Please never stop smiling.”  
> 20\. “it’s three in the morning...”  
> 30\. “Those things you said yesterday…Did you mean them?”  
> 42\. “I don’t care, just hold me”
> 
> for @rogueprincessdanie on tumblr, sorry it took me forever to finally get back to finishing these requests!

Tossing the covers back and half-rolling, half-throwing herself, Ellie landed on her other side facing her nightstand. Another sleepless night it looked like- they had come and gone every now and then in recent weeks. And if she was being honest with herself, truly they started after the accident that wasn’t an accident.

There had been some return to normalcy between Nick and her after the tense first week back for him, they’d gotten into their regular groove. _So why did it feel like something was still off?_ Ellie wondered to herself in the darkness of the night.

The bright blue-light hue filled the room before she heard the vibration on her wooden nightstand. Groaning slightly at the thought of a possible case at this hour, Ellie stuck her arm out from the duvet burrito she’d formed and tilted the screen to see the caller— _Nick_.

Lifting the phone to her ear and praying it was not case related, even though- why else would her partner be calling at almost 3am on a Saturday, Ellie answered, “Nick? What’s up?”

A pause preceded his next words, and when they did come, Ellie almost choked on her own spit. A falsetto, “ _when you feel the urrrrrrge..._ ”

Despite the early hour, Ellie couldn’t help but crack a smile at the ridiculousness of his ways. Refusing to finish the song just to give Nick a hard time, she stayed silent.

“Oh come on, you’re not gonna help me out?” came a disgruntled Nick on the other end.

Ellie bit her lip to keep herself from letting a chuckle slip out, she would not give in to this insane middle-of-the-night call. “Nope,” she said with a pop on the ‘p.’

Nick’s voice took on a softer tone, “Hey Ellie?”

She made a noise of acknowledgement, indicating he should continue.

“Please never stop smiling.”

His simple statement over the phone was so genuine, so heartfelt, and so unexpected- it made her freeze. And her knee-jerk reaction was to joke it off as the blush crept up her smiling cheeks. Ellie stuttered, “Wh- what? How do you know I’m even smiling?”

She could hear the smugness in his voice, “Well- ...aren’t you?”

Ellie’d never admit that yes- she was in fact smiling. It was a perfect time for a deflection, “Anyways, Nick. It’s three in the morning... What’s wrong?”

“Why’s anything gotta be wrong? I can’t just give my partner a call?” He rebuked.

She rolled her eyes to the empty room, and yet- he knew.

“Don’t roll your eyes, Bishop.” She scoffed before he continued, almost cautiously as his voice dropped—“Those things you said yesterday...Did you mean them?”

The air whooshed from her lungs as she recalled their conversation leaving work yesterday. Nick had jokingly asked about her biggest fear, seeing as their last case stirred up some unwelcome thoughts of snakes for him. In a rare moment of vulnerability Ellie answered truthfully...

_“That the need to feel independent will leave me all alone.”_

_She’d barely spoke above a whisper, but knew Nick heard her. His warm fingers had brushed her palm as his hand took hers. A gentle, yet firm squeeze felt on her palm echoed in her heart._

_His shoulder bumped hers as he whispered back, “You know I’ll always be here.”_

_Ellie refused to think deeper into his words so she faked a small laugh in order to hold back the tears, “Your my partner- you have to be.”_

_His hand had left hers as he let out a gentle sigh, keeping whatever words were clearly on the tip of his tongue to himself._

And now Ellie could either blow off her confession, or own up to it- the latter of which terrified her.

A nervous gulp slid down her throat. In the tiniest voice she went with the harder choice, “Yes.”

She could hear the intake of breath on the other end of the line and she tensed for his reaction. When nothing came, she wanted the dark room to swallow her whole, the embarrassment of being open and vulnerable taking over.

Ellie opened her mouth to somehow take back what she said but before she could even make a noise, a knock sounded at her front door that echoed over the phone.

_Wait. Was Nick at her door...?_

Ellie scrambled out of her bed, ignoring her rumpled appearance and jogged to the door. Peering through the peephole she was shocked- sure enough, there was Nick, a sheepish look on his face with his phone to his ear.

She yanked the door open wide and exclaimed, “What the heck are you doing here? It’s so late!”

Nick cocked his head searching for permission to enter and Ellie wordlessly stepped to the side- shutting the door behind him.

“Nick, seriously,” she folded her arms around her midsection- subconsciously holding herself together in fear of breaking at the emotion coursing through her.

“I meant it Ellie. I’ll always be here,” Nick reaffirmed from his declaration yesterday. She started to shake her head, eyes turning down to the floor, “You can be and _are_ independent. But you don’t have to be alone- I’m here. I always will be. I—“

When Ellie started to shake her head harder, Nick stopped mid sentence. She turned her soften gaze back to him, “Nick, I- I don’t care, just hold me.” The crack in her voice at the end palpable.

Nick wasted not a second more before enveloping her in his strong grasp. His lips pressed to her messy blonde hair as she felt the strong inhale through his nose. An action she mirrored into the warmth of his chest. His woodsy scent filling her nostrils, and her lavender one filling his.

She felt his mouth move along the top of her head, brushing her hair as he whispered, “Always. I’ll always hold you, Ellie. I’ll never let go.”


End file.
